Scroll to the bottom to see a Mind Map of my Classroom Values!
Inclusiveness |
Collaboration |
My class begins and ends with empathy, compassion, and kindness. We win together, we struggle together, we celebrate together, we support each other.
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We work together. We learn together. We plan together. We dream together. We get frustrated together. We bring our own ideas and turn them into something greater. My classroom is greater than the sum of it's parts because we have each other.
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Technology |
Inquiry |
I tweet during class. There, I said it. I do it on purpose, in front of students. We tweet to Astronauts, to Authors, to other educators. We Skyped to Africa and Sweden. I model how to use technology responsibly. You won't see me stop teaching to answer a text, but I'll do it during recess. You also won't see more than 10 words on the slides of my students. You will see beautiful images, cited and with creative commons attribution. #NoMoreBadPowerpoint!
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"I have a question!" learners often say. "Me too!" I whole-heartedly agree. Inquisitiveness is a trait I value in myself, and encourage students to express and develop. We have a variety of technologies in the classroom from topical books to iPads, and my phone has been passed around more than once to encourage further study.
Not all of my learners are ready for open inquiry, so a guided inquiry process supports and includes those students. |
Ability over Grade Level |
Cross Curricular Learning |
When was the last time you built a friendship around age? In the 'adult' world, that doesn't matter as much as shared values, beliefs, passions, and concerns. I love teaching in a many split multi-grade classroom. I value that none of my learners feel left out or different. There is always someone in similar ability, cares, worries, passions, and maturity level.
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The last time I was able to easily separate science from social studies, I was in grade 7. We used different colour duotangs. Since thing, things have gotten a lot more interconnected. Every civilization thrives because of the connectivity between logic and creativity, fact and opinion, priorities of prosperity vs social and ecological ramifications. It's important for my students to see and interact with the world holistically.
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Resiliency |
Self Assessment |
Too often I see learners who are crippled by anxiety and stymied by perfectionism. They are worried they can't do it perfectly the first time so they'd rather not try. They are worried about how they'll look to peers, so the hide away. They are worried how their parents will react, so they compartmentalize. Resiliency, grit, determination- these are critical skills to overcoming obstacles, but they also can be a sign of success over anxiety. Keep trying, just keep swimming, don't stop, what else can you do? These encouragements come from me at the start of the year, and soon become common parlance for all of the students.
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Great teachers have always fostered their students ability to reflect and self-assess, but now that it's an explicit expectation of our curriculum there are a wealth of resources, research, and conversations about how to support learners in their self assessment. I have often done a weekly self-assessment where students share their reflections: What did I do well? What can I do differently? Did I reach a goal? What is my new goal?
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